MOSCOW, March 24. /TASS/. Russian forces destroyed over 40 Ukrainian troops and a Polish-made Krab self-propelled howitzer in the southern Donetsk and Zaporozhye areas over the past day during the special military operation in Ukraine, Defense Ministry Spokesman Lieutenant-General Igor Konashenkov reported on Friday.
"In the southern Donetsk and Zaporozhye directions, operational/tactical aircraft and artillery of the battlegroup East struck the Ukrainian army units near the settlements of Ugledar, Novomilhailovka in the Donetsk People’s Republic, Lugovskoye and Shcherbaki in the Zaporozhye Region," the spokesman said.
"The enemy’s losses in the past 24 hours amounted to over 40 Ukrainian personnel, two pickup trucks, a D-30 howitzer as well as a Polish-made Krab self-propelled howitzer, " the general said.
Russia’s special military operation
On February 21, 2022, President Vladimir Putin announced that Moscow was recognizing the sovereignty of the Donetsk and Lugansk People’s Republics, (the DPR and LPR respectively). Russia signed agreements on friendship, cooperation and mutual assistance with their leaders. Moscow recognized the Donbass republics in accordance with the DPR and LPR constitutions within the boundaries of the Donetsk and Lugansk Regions as of the beginning of 2014.
Russian President Putin announced on February 24, 2022, that in response to a request by the heads of the Donbass republics for assistance, he had decided to carry out a special military operation in Ukraine. The DPR and the LPR launched an operation to liberate their territories under Kiev’s control.
From September 23 to September 27, 2022, the Donetsk People’s Republic and the Lugansk People’s Republic as well as the Kherson Region and the Zaporozhye Region held a referendum where the majority of voters opted to join Russia.
On September 30, 2022, President Putin and the heads of the DPR, the LPR, and the Zaporozhye and Kherson Regions signed treaties on their entry to Russia. Later, the State Duma and the Federation Council (the lower and upper houses of Russia’s parliament) approved legislation on ratifying these treaties, as well as federal constitutional laws on the accession of the four regions to Russia.